Disk apparatus

ABSTRACT

A disk apparatus includes a supporting mechanism inwardly projecting from an inner surface of a wall of a housing, the wall having a disk insertion/ejection opening, a disk conveying mechanism that is supported by the supporting mechanism so that the disk conveying mechanism can be moved along a disk conveyance path, via which a disk is conveyed, toward a predetermined position within the housing, an engagement groove formed in the supporting mechanism and having a straight portion parallel to the disk conveyance path and a locking portion perpendicular to the straight portion, a locking member that is rotatably disposed on the disk conveying mechanism and that is engaged with the engagement groove so that the locking member is pressed toward the locking portion of the engagement groove, and an actuation mechanism for rotating the locking member to release locking of the locking member when playing back the disk.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a disk apparatus that plays backinformation stored in a disk. More particularly, it relates to a diskapparatus that can be used with being mounted in a moving object, suchas a motor vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

Although a related art disk apparatus is provided with a disk conveyingplate that moves toward an inner side of the disk apparatus whenconveying a disk to a playback position within the disk apparatus, andthat retracts from an area in the vicinity of the disk when playing backthe disk placed at the playback position, the related art disk apparatusdoes not lock the disk conveying plate at a predetermined position whenconveying the disk to the playback position within the disk apparatus.

Conventionally, there has been provided a recording and reproducingapparatus, as disclosed in, for example, patent reference 1, which cancontain two or more disk cartridges each of which accommodates a disktherein, and which can record information on a disk and play back adisk. Although the prior art recording and reproducing apparatusincludes an MD locking mechanism for locking an MD (or mini disk) to acaddy, an MD lock releasing mechanism for releasing the locking of theMD to the caddy, and an MD detecting mechanism for detecting whether ornot a caddy has been loaded, it has no locking mechanism for locking adisk conveying plate.

[Patent reference 1] JP,09-274760,A (see paragraphs 0027 to 0033, andFIGS. 4 to 7)

The prior art disk apparatus moves the disk conveying plate to an innerside thereof in order to convey a disk to the playback position therein,but it does not lock the disk conveying plate at the position to whichthe disk conveying plate has been moved. A problem with the prior artdisk apparatus is therefore that, when a certain force is exerted uponthe disk conveying plate and the disk conveying plate therefore moves ina backward direction when conveying the disk to the predeterminedplayback position, the disk conveying plate cannot convey the disk tothe predetermined playback position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is made in order to solve the above-mentionedproblem, and it is therefore an object of the present invention toprovide a disk apparatus that can surely convey a disk to apredetermined position by locking a disk conveying mechanism whenconveying the disk to the predetermined position.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a diskapparatus including: a supporting mechanism inwardly projecting from aninner surface of a wall of a housing, the wall having a diskinsertion/ejection opening; a disk conveying mechanism that is supportedby the supporting mechanism so that the disk conveying mechanism can bemoved along a conveyance path, via which a disk is conveyed, toward apredetermined position within the housing; an engagement groove formedin the supporting mechanism and having a straight portion which isparallel to the conveyance path and a locking portion which isperpendicular to the straight portion; a locking member that isrotatably disposed on the disk conveying mechanism and that is engagedwith the engagement groove so that the locking member is pressed towardthe locking portion of the engagement groove; and an actuation mechanismfor rotating the locking member so as to release locking of the lockingmember when playing back the disk.

Thus, since the disk apparatus in accordance with the present inventionis so constructed as to, when conveying a disk to the predeterminedposition, lock the disk conveying mechanism at a predetermined positionin the housing, and to release the locking of the disk conveyingmechanism and retract the disk conveying mechanism to outside an area inwhich disks can be handled by the disk conveying mechanism when playingback the disk. Therefore, the disk apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention can certainly convey the disk to the predeterminedposition, and the reliability of the disk apparatus can be improved.

In addition, the operation of locking or releasing the locking of thedisk conveying mechanism can be performed using an actuation memberdisposed for retracting the disk conveying mechanism to outside the areain which disks can be handled by the disk conveying mechanism, withouthaving to provide a special-purpose component. In other words, theoperation of moving the disk conveying mechanism and the operation oflocking or releasing the locking of the disk conveying mechanism can beunified with the simple structure. Therefore, the reliability of thedisk apparatus can be further improved.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description of the preferred embodiments of theinvention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram showing a disk apparatus in accordancewith the present invention in which a disk conveying mechanism is shownin spaced apart relation to a housing;

FIG. 2 is a perspective diagram showing the disk apparatus in accordancewith the present invention in which the disk conveying mechanism ismounted in the housing;

FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram showing the disk conveying mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram showing the disk conveying mechanismwhen viewed from a direction different to that of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the disk conveying mechanism whenconveying a disk;

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the disk conveying mechanism which is placed ina state in which locking of the disk conveying mechanism is released;

FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective diagram showing a state in which the diskconveying mechanism is retracted to outside an area in which a disk canbe handled;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective diagram showing the outward appearance of amain part of the disk apparatus;

FIG. 13 is a perspective diagram showing the interior of the diskapparatus, but in which a top plate is removed from a housing of thedisk apparatus;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective diagram showing the disk apparatus, but inwhich a front side plate of the housing is removed;

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the interior of the housing, but in whichthe top plate is removed;

FIG. 17 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a right-hand side of the disk apparatus,but in which a right-hand side plate is removed;

FIG. 19 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand-rear side thereof;

FIG. 20 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand front side thereof;

FIG. 21 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 22 is a side view showing the right-hand side of the diskapparatus, but in which the right-hand side plate is removed at a timeof disk installation;

FIG. 23 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 24 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 25 is a plan view showing the interior of the housing, but in whichthe top plate is removed;

FIG. 26 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 27 is a side view showing the right-hand side of the disk apparatusat a time of inserting a disk into a playback unit;

FIG. 28 is a plan view showing the interior of the housing in which theplayback unit is made to rotate toward a playback position;

FIG. 29 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 30 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand front side thereof;

FIG. 31 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 32 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 33 is a plan view showing the interior of the housing of the diskapparatus in a playback state;

FIG. 34 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma right-hand front side thereof;

FIG. 35 is a side view showing the right-hand side of the disk apparatusin the playback state;

FIG. 36 is a plan view showing the interior of the housing, but in whichthe top-plate is removed;

FIG. 37 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 38 is a perspective diagram of the disk apparatus when viewed froma left-hand rear side thereof;

FIG. 39 is a plan view showing a relationship between a cam groove of asecond rotary member and a lever engaged with the cam groove; and

FIG. 40 is an expansion plan of spiral grooves for moving a stockerupward or downward.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram showing a disk apparatus in accordancewith the present invention in which a disk conveying mechanism is shownin spaced apart relation to a housing, FIG. 2 is a perspective diagramshowing the disk apparatus in accordance with the present invention inwhich the disk conveying mechanism is mounted in the housing, FIG. 3 isa perspective diagram showing the disk conveying mechanism, FIG. 4 is aperspective diagram showing the disk conveying mechanism when viewedfrom a direction different to that of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a plan viewshowing the disk conveying mechanism when conveying a disk, FIG. 6 is aside view of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the disk conveyingmechanism which is placed in a state in which locking of the diskconveying mechanism is released, FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 8, FIG. 9is a perspective diagram showing a state in which the disk conveyingmechanism is retracted to outside an area in which disks can be handledby the disk conveying mechanism, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing thestate of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a side view of FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 101 consists of a front sideplate 101 a, a right-hand side plate 101 b, a left-hand side plate 101d, a rear side plate (not shown in the figures), and a bottom plate 101e. The housing 101 also includes a top plate (not shown in the figures)attached to an upper surface thereof. The disk conveying mechanism has abase plate 314 that is disposed above a disk insertion/ejection opening303 formed in the front side plate 110 a of the housing and that isprojecting from an inner surface of the front side plate 101 a of thehousing to the interior of the housing, and a plurality of straightline-shaped guide grooves 314 a to 314 c and an L-shaped guide groove314 d are formed in both end portions of the base plate 314. A diskguide plate 315 is disposed under the base plate 314, and a plurality ofpins 315 a to 315 c formed on an upper surface of the disk guide plate315 are made to pass through the plurality of guide grooves 314 a to 314c, respectively, and have top ends which are shaped like a flange sothat they cannot be disconnected from the plurality of guide grooves 314a to 314 c, respectively. Thereby, the disk guide plate 315 is hung andsupported by the base plate 314. An arc-shaped dented portion 315 d forpreventing interference with the disk is disposed in a central part ofthe disk guide plate 315.

As shown in FIG. 3, rotary levers 316 are respectively attached to bentportions 315 e disposed at both ends of the disk guide plate 315 via anaxis 316 a, and a disk conveying roller 317 is disposed between therotary levers 316. The disk guide plate 315 and the disk conveyingroller 317 are arranged so that a gap between them is positioned at muchthe same level as the disk insertion/ejection opening 303. A powertransfer gear 318 is disposed on an axis 317 a of the disk conveyingroller 317 projecting outside from one of the rotary levers 316. Thepower transfer gear 318 is engaged with a gear series 320 fortransmitting a rotary force from a motor 319 of FIG. 4 which is mountedto the inner surface of the front side plate 101 a of the housing. Aguide pin 321 is disposed in an end portion of each of the rotary levers316 which is located on an inner side of the housing. The guide pin 321is engaged with a cam groove 101 g formed in the right-hand side plate101 b of the housing, as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 5, a locking lever 322 is rotatably supported on anupper surface of the disk guide plate 315 in the vicinity of the gear318, and a pin 322 a disposed on this locking lever 322 is engaged withthe L-shaped guide groove 314 d formed in the base plate 314. Inaddition, a forked engaging member 212 c of a sliding plate 212 shown inFIG. 1, which can move along an inner surface of the right-hand sideplate 101 b of the housing, is engaged with another pin 322 b disposedon the locking lever 322, and a rack member 212 b formed in the slidingplate 212 is engaged with one gear of the gear series 320 shown in FIG.4. The sliding plate 212 is an actuation mechanism which is one ofstructural members which control the operation of the disk apparatus.

Next, the operation of the disk apparatus in accordance with thisembodiment of the present invention will be explained.

When the disk apparatus stops operating, the structural members of eachmechanism return to their initial positions. Therefore, the diskconveying plate 315 projects toward the interior of the housing, and thelocking lever 322 disposed on the disk conveying plate 315 holds theprojection state in which the disk conveying plate 315 projects towardthe interior of the housing with the pin 322 a being engaged with alocking portion of the L-shaped guide groove 314 d of the base plate314. When a disk 450 is inserted into the housing 101 via the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 in this state, the motor 319 disposedunder the disk guide plate 315 operates in response to a sensor signalfrom a sensor (not shown in the figures) that has detected the inserteddisk, and the disk conveying roller 317 then operates via the gearseries 320 and conveys the disk 450 to a conveyance completion positionat which the conveyance of the disk is completed.

When the sliding plate 212 is made to move in a direction of an arrow Tof FIG. 3 by virtue of a mechanism (not shown) that is operated inresponse to the detection signal from the sensor (not shown) that hasdetected that the disk 450 has been conveyed to the conveyancecompletion position, the rack member 212 b of the sliding plate 212 isengaged with one gear of the gear series 320, and the sliding plate 212receives the driving force from the gear series and continues to furthermove in the direction of the arrow T. This movement results inengagement between the pin 322 b disposed on the locking lever 322arranged on the upper surface of the disk conveying plate 315 and theforked engaging member 212 c of the slide plate 212, and the lockinglever 322 rotates from a state shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 to a state shown inFIGS. 7 and 8 and the pin 322 a moves from the locking portion of theL-shaped guide groove 314 d of the base plate 314 and goes into astraight line portion of the L-shaped guide groove 314 d. As a result,the disk conveying plate 315 retracts (or moves backward) in thedirection of the arrow T, i.e., toward the disk insertion/ejectionopening 303 and enters a state shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 as the slidingplate 212 moves in the direction of the arrow T. This backward movementcan prevent the disk conveying plate 315 from interfering with the disklocated at the conveyance completion position.

As mentioned above, since the disk apparatus in accordance with thisembodiment 1 is so constructed as to, when conveying a disk to theinterior of the disk apparatus, lock the disk conveying plate 315projecting toward the interior of the housing at its locking position,it is possible to certainly prevent the disk conveying plate 315 frommoving backward for some reason when conveying the disk and hence toprevent the conveyance of the disk from becoming an impossibility. Inaddition, since the disk apparatus is so constructed as to, when playingback a disk, as to release the locking of the locking lever 322 of thedisk conveying plate 315 using the movement of the sliding plate 212which retracts the disk conveying plate 315, the disk apparatus cancertainly retract the disk conveying plate 315 to outside the area inwhich disks can be handled by the disk conveying mechanism so as toprevent the disk conveying plate 315 from interfering with the operationof playing back the disk.

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the operation of movingthe disk conveying plate 315 and the operation of locking or releasingthe locking of the locking lever 322 are performed using the existingsliding plate 212 disposed for retracting the disk conveying plate 315to outside the area in which disks can be handled by the disk conveyingmechanism. In other words, the operation of moving the disk conveyingplate 315 and the operation of locking or releasing the locking of thelocking lever 322 can be unified with the simple structure. Therefore,the reliability of the disk apparatus can be further improved.

Hereafter, an example of the disk apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention will be explained with reference to drawings. FIG. 12is a perspective diagram showing the outward appearance of a main part100 of the disk apparatus, FIG. 13 is a perspective diagram showing theinterior of the main part, but in which a top plate 102 is removed fromthe housing 101, FIG. 14 is a plan view of FIG. 13, and FIG. 15 is aperspective diagram of the disk apparatus, but showing a state in whichthe front side plate 101 a of the housing 101 is removed.

As shown in these figures, a drive mechanism 200, a diskinsertion/ejection mechanism 300, a disk changer mechanism 400, aplayback unit 500, a number of cams, levers, etc. for making them workin cooperation with one another are disposed in the interior of thehousing 101. Hereafter, those components will be explained withreference to FIGS. 1 to 40.

Drive Mechanism 200:

As shown in FIG. 17, the drive mechanism 200 has a motor 201, as adriving source, disposed at a back corner of a bottom plate 101 e of thehousing 101, a first rotary member 203 and a second member 204 to whicha driving force from the motor 201 is supplied via a gear series 202. Aspiral cam groove 203 a is formed in the first rotary member 203, andfour independent cam grooves 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, and 204 d are formedin the second rotary member 204. The gear series 202, and the first andsecond rotary members 203 and 204 are rotatably supported on the bottomplate 101 e of the housing 101.

The cam groove 204 a has a middle portion and both end portions whichare arc-shaped and concentrically formed in the second rotary member204, and connecting portions for connecting the middle portion with theboth end portions, which are running in a direction of the radius of thesecond rotary member 204, as shown in FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 39, apin 205 a disposed at a middle portion of an L-shaped first mechanicaldriving lever (referred to as a first driving lever from here on) 205,which is disposed under the second rotary member 204, is engaged withthe cam groove 204 a, and the first driving lever 205 has an end whichis rotatably supported by an axis 205 b disposed on the bottom plate 101e of the housing 101.

The cam groove 204 b has a semicircle arc portion which is formed sothat it has much the same radius as the cam groove 204 a and is oppositeto the cam groove 204 a, as shown in FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 39, a pin310 a disposed at a middle portion of a second mechanical driving lever(referred to as a second driving lever from here on) 310, which isdisposed, as a shutter driving lever, under the second rotary member204, is engaged with the cam groove 204 b, and the second driving lever310 has an end which is rotatably supported by the axis of one gear ofthe gear series 202.

The cam groove 204 c is formed like a semicircle arc so that an endthereof is located in the vicinity of the outer edge of the secondrotary member 204 and another end thereof is located in the vicinity ofthe center of the second rotary member 204, as shown in FIG. 17. Asshown in FIG. 39, a pin 213 a disposed at a middle portion of a sensordriving lever 213 disposed under the second rotary member 204 is engagedwith the cam groove 204 c, and the sensor driving lever 213 has an endwhich is rotatably supported by an axis 213 c disposed on the bottomplate 101 e of the housing 101.

The cam groove 204 d is formed like a semicircle arc having a center onthe axis of the second rotary member 204, and is bent at a midpointthereof so that an end thereof approaches the axis of the second rotarymember, as shown in FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 39, a pin 510 a disposedat a middle portion of a third mechanical driving lever (referred to asa third driving lever from here on) 510 disposed above the second rotarymember 204 is engaged with the above-mentioned cam groove 204 d, and thethird driving lever 510 has an end which is rotatably supported by anaxis 510 b disposed on the bottom plate 101 e of the housing 101.

The pin 205 b disposed on the free end of the first driving lever 205 isengaged with a long hole 206 a of the sliding plate 206 which moves inparallel with a rear side plate 101 c of the housing 101 and four camgrooves 206 b, 206 c, 206 d, and 206 e are formed in the sliding plate206, as shown in FIG. 39, and an L-shaped cam groove 206 f is formed ina rising surface of the sliding plate 206 which is bent at a right anglewith respect to the bottom portion in which the four cam grooves 206 b,206 c, 206 d, and 206 e are formed, as shown in FIG. 23. As shown inFIG. 24, a rotary lever 207 has a cylinder 207 a which is engaged withthe cam groove 206 b, and a disk detection plate 207 b disposed at anupper portion of the cylinder 207 a.

Referring to FIG. 24, a lever 208 having a pin 208 a which is engagedwith the L-shaped cam groove 206 f is rotatably supported by the rearside plate 110 c of the housing 101, and a lever 209 is connected withan end of the lever 207 by way of a pin 207 c disposed on the lever 207and a long hole 209 a formed in the level 209. As shown in FIG. 25, anL-shaped lever 210 has a middle portion connected with the lever 209 viaa rotation axis 210 a, a pin 210 b disposed at an end thereof andengaged with the cam groove 206 e, and another pin 210 c disposed atanother end thereof and engaged with a bent forked portion 211 a of asliding plate 211.

The sliding plate 211 is so formed as to slide along the inner surfaceof the right-hand side plate of the housing 101, and, as shown in FIG.24, the sliding plate 212 having an engaging portion 212 a which isengaged with an upper dented edge portion 211 b of the sliding plate 211is so disposed as to slide along the inner surface of the right-handside plate of the housing 101. The sliding plate 212 has the rack member212 b and the forked engaging member 212 c which is bent at a rightangle toward the interior of the housing, as previously mentioned.

Disk Insertion/Ejection Mechanism 300:

As shown in FIG. 17, the disk insertion/ejection mechanism 300 isprovided with a cam plate 301 which moves rightward or leftward alongthe inner surface of the front side plate 110 a of the housing, and twocam grooves 301 a and 301 b are formed in right and left portions of thecam plate 301, respectively. Two shutters 302R and 302L have pins 302 aand 302 b which are engaged with the cam grooves 301 a and 301 b of thecam plate 301, respectively, and are rotatably supported by the innersurface of the front side plate 110 a of the housing so that the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 formed in the housing front side plate101 a can be opened or closed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base plate 314 projecting from the innersurface of the front side plate 101 a of the housing to the interior ofthe housing is formed above the disk insertion/ejection opening 303, andthe straight line-shaped guide grooves 314 a to 314 c and the L-shapedguide groove 314 d are formed in the both end portions of the base plate314. The disk conveying plate 315 is disposed below the base plate 314,and the pins 315 a to 315 c disposed on the upper surface of the diskconveying plate 315 are passed through the guide grooves 314 a to 314 c,respectively, and the top ends of the pins 315 a to 315 c are swaged sothat they cannot be disconnected from the plurality of guide grooves 314a to 314 c, respectively. Thereby, the disk guide plate 315 is hung andsupported by the base plate 314. The dented portion 315 d is formed likean arc at a central part of the disk conveying plate 315 so that the rimof an inserted disk cannot be in contact with the disk conveying plate315.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rotary levers 316 are attached to the bothends of the disk conveying plate 315 via the axis 316 a, and the diskconveying roller 317 is disposed in parallel with the axis 316 a betweenthe rotary levers 316. The disk guide plate 315 and the disk conveyingroller 317 are arranged so that the gap between them is positioned atmuch the same level as the disk insertion/ejection opening 303. Thepower transfer gear 318 is attached to the axis 317 a of the diskconveying roller 317 projecting outside from one of the rotary levers316, and the gear series 320 for transmitting a rotary force from amotor 319, as shown in FIG. 20, which is mounted to the inner surface ofthe right-hand side plate 101 b of the housing, is engaged with the gear318. The guide pin 321, as well as the gear 318, is disposed on therotary lever 316, and the guide pin 321 is engaged with the cam groove101 g formed in the right-hand side plate 101 b of the housing.

The locking lever 322 is rotatably supported on a right-hand sideportion of the upper surface of the disk conveying plate 315 to whichthe gear series 320 is mounted and the pin 322 a disposed on the lockinglever 322 is engaged with the L-shaped guide groove 314 d of the baseplate 314, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the forked engaging member 212c of the sliding plate 212 is engaged with the pin 322 b disposed on thelocking lever 322, as shown in FIG. 23. The rack member 212 b formed inthe sliding plate 212 is engaged with one gear of the gear series 320.

Disk Changer Mechanism 400:

In the disk changer mechanism 400, three disk upward/downward movingmembers (referred to as rotation axes from here on) 401, 402, and 403are supported at positions having angles of about 0 degrees, 90 degrees,and 180 degrees with respect to a diagonal line connecting between aright end of the front side plate and a left end of the rear side plate,and between the bottom plate 110 d and top plate 102 of the housing, asshown in FIGS. 18 and 19. Small-diameter portions 401 b, 402 b, and 403b having a height enough to accommodate a predetermined number of disks450 (for example, five disks) are formed in upper parts of the rotationaxes 401, 402, and 403, respectively, and small-diameter portions 401 c,402 c, and 403 c are also formed in lower parts of the rotation axes,respectively. Step-wise spiral grooves 401 a, 402 a, and 403 a areformed in the outer surfaces of large-diameter middle portions of therotation axes, respectively.

While the step-wise spiral grooves 402 a and 403 a formed in the outersurfaces of the large-diameter middle portions of the two-rotation axes402 and 403 located on the back side of the housing have an identicalshape, the step-wise spiral groove 401 a of the rotation axis 401located on the front side of the housing switches from a step H2 toanother step H3 at an earlier time than those 402 a and 403 a formed inthe rotation axes 402 and 403, as shown in FIG. 40. By virtue of thisstructure, the front side of the disk being held by the disk apparatusbecomes lower than the back side of the disk at timing when thestep-wise spiral groove 401 a of the rotation axis 401 switches from thestep H2 to the other step H3. The rotation axes 401, 402, and 403 havegears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d at the top ends thereof, respectively, andthe gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d are engaged with one large-diametergear 404. In FIG. 40, H1 denotes a playback unit entry level (i.e., anelevation position where the disk supported by a stocker 405 and thedisk guide member 421 is placed above the turntable 507 so that the diskdoes not interfere with movements of the turntable 507), H2 denotes adisk chugging level (i.e., an elevation position where the disk placedon the turntable 507 is pressed by the damper 508 a), and H3 denotes aplayback unit retraction level (i.e., an elevation position where thedisk supported by a stocker 405 and the disk guide member 421 is placedwhen the turntable 507 is retracted to beside the disk). Furthermore, M1denotes a playback unit entry mode in which the turntable 507 is movedto a position where it supports the disk, M2 denotes a disk chuggingmode in which the disk placed on the turntable 507 is pressed and heldby the damper 508 a, M3 denotes a playback unit retraction mode in whichthe turntable 507 is retracted to beside the disk, and M4 denotes a diskinsertion/ejection mode in which a disk is inserted into the diskapparatus or a disk is ejected from the disk apparatus.

Each of a plurality of stockers 405 for supporting a disk 450 isconstructed of an arc-shaped sheet material, which is shaped like a partof a circle whose more than half of its area including a center isremoved. Each stocker 405 has supporting members 406, 407, and 408 whichare attached to parts thereof having angles of about 0 degrees, 90degrees, and 180 degrees with respect to the diagonal line connectingbetween the right end of the front side plate and the left end of therear side plate, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 20, projectingportions 406 a, 407 a, and 408 a which are projecting outwardly from thesupporting members 406, 407, and 408, respectively, have holes 406 b,407 b, and 408 b through which guide pins 409, 410, and 411 installed inthe vicinity of the rotation axes 401, 402, and 403 are passed, and pins406 c, 407 c, and 408 c which are engaged with the spiral grooves 401 a,402 a, and 403 a formed in the rotation axes 401, 402, and 403,respectively. Furthermore, attachment arms 407 d and 407 e to whichstocker flat springs 215 a and 215 b are attached are disposed on theprojecting member 407 a.

By virtue of this structure, the large-diameter gear 404 rotatesaccording to the driving force of the motor 418 by way of the gearseries 419, and therefore the rotation axes 401, 402, and 403simultaneously rotate by way of the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d,respectively. As a result, each stocker 405 can be made to move upwardor downward along the spiral grooves 401 a, 402 a, and 403 a. While eachstocker 405 is moved upward or downward, the difference in level betweenthe step-wise spiral grooves 402 a and 403 a of the rotation axes 402and 403 located on the back side of the housing, and the step-wisespiral groove 401 a of the rotation axis 401 located on the front sideof the housing causes the front side of the disk 450 being held by eachstocker 405 to point downward.

As shown in FIG. 21, the disk changer mechanism 400 is further providedwith a gear 412 which is disposed in the vicinity of the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 and is engaged with the large-diametergear 404, a gear 413 which is engaged with the gear 412, a shaking lever414 having a pin 414 a which is engaged with an 8-shaped cam groove 413a formed in the gear 413, a sliding plate 415 which is connected withthe shaking lever 414 via a pin 414 b of the shaking lever 414, andwhich slides rightward or leftward along the front side plate 101 a ofthe housing, a sliding plate 416 in which a cam groove 416 a engagedwith a pin 415 a of the sliding plate 415 is formed, the sliding plate416 sliding upward or downward along the front side plate 111 a of thehousing, and a rotary plate 417 having a forked portion 417 a at an endthereof, which is engaged with a pin 416 b of the sliding plate 416.

The gears 412 and 413 and the shaking lever 414 are supported by the topplate 102 of the housing, and pins 415 b formed in left-hand andright-hand end portions of the sliding plate 415 are engaged withhorizontal long holes 420 a of the front side plate 101 a of thehousing, respectively, as shown in FIG. 13. Furthermore, a pin 416 adisposed on the sliding plate 416 is engaged with a perpendicular longhole 420 b formed in the front side plate 101 a of the housing, as shownin FIG. 13.

Referring now to FIG. 23, a gear series 422 that connects a gear 310 bdisposed at an end of the second driving lever 310 with a gear 421 bdisposed under a disk guide member 421 is rotatably supported on arotation axis supporting plate 423 which is disposed on the bottomsurface 101 e of the housing. The above-mentioned rotary plate 417 isrotatably supported on a perpendicular bent portion of the rotation axissupporting plate 423. In the above-mentioned disk guide member 421, anexternal cylinder 421 d is slipped over an axial member 421 c having thegear 421 b, a sandwiching portion 421 a for sandwiching the disk isdisposed on an upper outer face portion of the external cylinder 421 d,and a pin 417 b which is protruded from the rotary plate 417 is engagedwith a lower outer face portion of the external cylinder 421 d. Byvirtue of this structure, the disk guide member 421 can be rotated andmoved upward or downward.

Playback Unit 500:

The playback unit 500 has a rotary lever 501, as shown in FIG. 28,having an end which is rotatably supported by an axis 110 of FIG. 15disposed in the housing 101 and a pin 501 b which is disposed thereonand is engaged with the cam groove 203 a of the first rotary member 203,and a playback member 502, as shown in FIG. 29, which is moved from itsretraction position which is located outside an area including the diskto the disk playback position by the rotary lever 501. The playbackmember 502 has a playback member supporting plate 503 and a supportingplate 504, as shown in FIG. 29, and the both plates have holes 503 a and504 a formed at end portions thereof into which the axis 110 verticallydisposed on the bottom plate 101 e of the housing 101 is rotatablyengaged, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 28.

As shown in FIG. 28, a cam groove 503 b which is engaged with a pin 501c disposed on the above-mentioned rotary lever 501 is formed in theplayback member supporting plate 503, and impact-absorbing members 503 care disposed on both a leading edge portion and a base edge portion ofthe playback member supporting plate 503. In the vicinity of the leadingedge portion of the playback member supporting plate 503, a cut groove503 d which is engaged with a disk center positioning member 103, asshown in FIGS. 13 to 15, which is disposed on the bottom plate 101 e ofthe housing 101 is formed. Furthermore, locking members 505 and 506having gears 505 a and 506 a which are engaged with each other arerotatably supported by the playback member supporting plate 503 by wayof the rotation axes 505 b and 506 b of the gears 505 a and 505 b,respectively, as shown in FIG. 36. Engagement members 505 c and 506 chaving engagement dented portions are formed at free end portions of thelocking members 505 and 506 so that they are perpendicularly bent withrespect to the main portions of the locking members 505 and 506,respectively.

As shown in FIG. 19, the supporting plate 504 has a leading edge portionand a base edge portion in which holes 504 b engaged with the upper endsof the impact-absorbing members 503 c of the playback member supportingplate 503 shown in FIG. 28 are formed, and a turntable 507 that makesthe disk placed thereonto rotate is disposed in the vicinity of theleading edge portion of the supporting plate 504. The turntable 507 isarranged on the axis of a disk type motor 512 a disposed on a circuitboard 512. A reading unit (i.e., a pickup) 513 that can move between thebase edge portion and leading edge portion of the supporting plate 504so as to read the contents of the disk 450 is disposed.

Furthermore, perpendicularly-bent portions 508 b are disposed on bothsides of a back end portion of a clamp plate 508 and are rotatablysupported via an axis 508 c by perpendicularly-bent portions 504 c whichare disposed on both sides of the base edge portion of the supportingplate 504, respectively. The clamp plate 508 has a leading end portionon which a damper 508 a for pressing the disk toward the turntable 507so as to hold the disk is disposed so that the damper can shake, and acoil spring 509 for pressing the damper 508 a toward the turntable 507is disposed on the back end portion of the clamp plate 508.

As shown in FIG. 31, a driving lever 511 that slides along the innersurface of the left-hand side plate of the housing is connected with theleading end of the third driving lever 510 via engagement between a pin510 c and a long hole 511 a, and a cam groove 511 b for lockingoperation and a cam groove 511 c for disk chugging operation are formedin the upper surface of the sliding member 511. Furthermore, a pin 506 ddisposed on the locking member 506 shown in FIG. 36 is engaged with thecam groove 511 b for locking operation, and a driving plate 515 and aconnecting plate 513 which are disposed on the clamp plate 508 areconnected so that they can shake. A pin 514 disposed on the connectingplate 513 is engaged with the cam groove 511 c for disk chuggingoperation.

Next, operations of the disk apparatus in accordance with thisembodiment of the present invention will be explained. Operations ofinserting a disk into the disk apparatus, and placing the disk at theplayback position:

First, a switch not shown in the figures is closed and the motor 201shown in FIG. 17 is started. The motor 201 then makes the first andsecond rotary members 203 and 204 rotate by way of the gear series 202.As shown in FIG. 17, the rotation of the second rotary member 204results in rotation of the second driving lever 310 engaged with the camgroove 204 b in a direction of an arrow A, a middle lever 311 istherefore made to rotate in a direction of an arrow B, and the cam plate301 is made to move in a direction of an arrow C. As a result, theshutters 302R and 302L having their respective pins 302 a and 302 bengaged with the cam grooves 301 a and 301 b of the cam plate 301 aremade rotate in directions of arrows D and E, respectively, and the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 is then opened.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 20, the playback unit 500 isretracted to outside an area where the disk can be moved, the diskconveying plate 315 is placed on a side of the front side plate of thehousing 101, and a desired or selected stocker 405 is moved to a diskconveyance level at which the disk can be conveyed. Furthermore, only apart of the desired stocker which is engaged with the spiral groove 401a of the rotation axis 401, which is the closest to the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303, is moved downward to the playback unitretraction level.

In this state, when a sensor not shown in the figures detects the diskinserted into the disk apparatus via the disk insertion/ejection opening303, the motor 319 of FIG. 20 is started in response to a detectionsignal from the sensor, and then rotates the roller 317 by way of thegear series 318. As a result, the upper and lower surfaces of the diskare guided by the disk conveying plate 315 and the selected stocker 504,and the right-hand and left-hand sides of the disk are guided by therotation axis 401 and a side wall of the clamp plate 508 of FIG. 19, sothat the disk is conveyed to the inner side of the housing 101. As shownin FIG. 39, detection of which mode the second rotary member 204 isplaced in is performed by using the sensor driving lever 213 which isengaged with the cam groove 204 c of the second rotary member 204 by wayof the pin 213 a, and the position sensor 214 having the pin 214 a whichis engaged with the forked member 213 b disposed at the leading end ofthe sensor driving lever 213.

When the inserted disk 450 is conveyed to a predetermined position, thedisk detection plate 207 b is pushed by the disk and is then made torotate in a direction of an arrow F, and the switch lever 209 is made torotate in a direction of an arrow G by way of the lever 207, as shown inFIG. 20. As a result, a switch 216 is closed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 17, further rotation of the second rotary member204 caused by further driving of the motor 201 rotates the seconddriving lever 310 in a direction of an arrow A′, rotates the middlelever 311 in a direction of an arrow B′, and moves the cam plate 301 ina direction of an arrow C′. As a result, the shutters 302R and 302L ofFIG. 11 are made to project toward the disk insertion path, and the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 is then closed.

On the other hand, when the motor 418 is started in response to a closesignal from the switch 216, the rotation axes 401, 402, and 403 are madeto rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear 404,and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, as shown in FIG. 21, and the diskinsertion side of the selected stocker 504 is moved back to the diskconveyance level by way of the pins 406 c, 407 c, and 408 c of theprojecting portions of the supporting members which are respectivelyengaged with the spiral grooves 401 a, 402 a, and 403 a of the rotationaxes 401, 402, and 403, as shown in FIG. 22.

Simultaneously, the gear 412 is made to rotate and the shaking lever 414having the pin 414 a which is engaged with the 8-shaped cam groove 413 aof the gear 413 engaged with the gear 412 is also made rotate in adirection of an arrow H. Movement of the sliding plate 415 in adirection of an arrow J, movement of the sliding plate 416 in adirection of an arrow K, and rotation of the rotary plate 417 in adirection of an arrow L, which are caused by the rotation of the shakinglever 414, results in an upward movement of the disk guide member 421 ina direction of an arrow M to the disk conveyance level, as shown in FIG.21.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23, further rotation of the second rotary member204 caused by further driving of the motor 201 rotates the first drivinglever 205 in a direction of an arrow N, and moves the sliding plate 20in a direction of an arrow P. As a result, the disk detection plate 207b is rotated and retracted in a direction of an arrow F. Pressures bythe stocker flat springs 215 a and 215 b which press the disk toward thestocker are released by further movement of the sliding plate 206 in thedirection of the arrow P, movement of the lever 208 in a direction of anarrow Q, movement of the L-shaped lever 210 in a direction of an arrowR, and movement of the sliding plate 211 in a direction of an arrow S.As a result, the sliding plate 212 is brought into contact with thesliding plate 211, and the sliding plate 212 is pressed by the slidingplate 211.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the sliding plate 212 is madeto travel a predetermined distance in a direction of an arrow T, and theforked engaging member 212 c makes the locking member 322 rotate in adirection of an arrow U. As a result, the engagement between the pin 322b and the L-shaped groove 314 d is released. Simultaneously, the seconddriving lever 310 is made to rotate in the direction of the arrow A, andthe disk guide member 421 is made to rotate in a direction of an arrow fby way of the gear series 422. As a result, the disk 450 is sandwichedby the sandwiching portion 421 a of the disk guide member 421, as shownin FIG. 23. Then, when the motor 319 is started, the sliding plate 212,in which the rack 212 b is pushed and moved by the sliding plate 211 andis then engaged with one gear of the gear series 320, moves the diskconveying plate 315 toward the disk insertion/ejection opening (i.e., ina direction of an arrow V of FIG. 20) in response to the driving forcefrom the motor 319.

On the other hand, further rotation of the motor 418 rotates therotation axes 401, 402, and 403 by way of the gear series 419, thelarge-diameter gear 404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, and theselected stocker 504 is moved up to the playback unit entry level, asshown in FIG. 27. Simultaneously, the gear 412 is made to rotate and theshaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a which is engaged with the8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engaged with the gear 412 ismade to rotate in the direction of the arrow H, as shown in FIG. 21.Movement of the sliding plate 415 in the direction of the arrow J,movement of the sliding plate 416 in the direction of the arrow K, androtation of the rotary plate 417 in the direction of the arrow L, whichare caused by the rotation of the shaking lever 414, results in anupward movement of the disk guide member 421 up to the playback unitentry level with the disk guide member 421 holding the disk, as shown inFIG. 26.

The spiral cam groove 203 a of the first rotary member 203, which isdriven, via the gear series 202, by the motor 201, makes the rotarylever 501 rotate in a direction of an arrow W shown in FIG. 28, and thecut groove 503 d of the playback member supporting plate 503 is engagedwith the disk center positioning member 103. As a result, as shown inFIG. 28, the axis of the turntable 507 matches with the axis of the diskheld by the selected stocker 504.

The above-mentioned rotation of the playback member supporting plate 503brings the supporting plate 504 arranged on the playback membersupporting plate into contact with the disk guide member 421, rotatesthe rotation axis supporting plate 423 in a direction of an arrow Z ofFIG. 29, and retracts the disk guide member 421 from the playback unitentry position. At this time, the clamp plate 508 is placed in anon-chugging state.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the engaging portion of theselected stocker 504 descends to the disk chugging level (i.e., the diskconveyance level), as shown in FIG. 22. Simultaneously, the rotation ofthe gear 412 makes the shaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a which isengaged with the 8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engaged withthe gear 412 rotate in a direction of an arrow H′, as shown in FIG. 30,and movement of the sliding plate 415 in a direction of an arrow J′,movement of the sliding plate 416 in a direction of an arrow K′, androtation of the rotary plate 417 in a direction of an arrow L′, whichare caused by the rotation of the shaking lever 414, make the disk guidemember 421 descend in a direction of an arrow M′ to the chugging leveland place the disk 450 on the turntable 507, as shown in FIGS. 26 and30.

By virtue of the motor 201, the gear series 202, and the cam groove 204d of the second rotary member 204, the lever 510 rotates in a directionof an arrow a, the slide member 511 moves in a direction of an arrow b,the connecting plate 513 rotates in a direction of an arrow c, and thedriving plate 515 of the clamp plate 508 moves in a direction of anarrow d, as shown in FIG. 31. As a result, since a rotation preventingmember (not shown in the figure) of the clamp plate 508, which isdisposed on the driving plate 515, releases prevention of rotation ofthe clamp plate, the clamp plate 508 descends in a direction of an arrowe because of the spring force of the coil spring 509, as shown in FIG.31, and the clamper 508 a presses the disk toward the turntable 507 sothat the disk is placed in the chugging state, as shown in FIG. 33.

Further rotation of the second rotary member 204 caused by furtherdriving of the motor 201 causes movement of the first driving lever 205in a direction of an arrow N′, movement of the sliding plate 206 in adirection of an arrow P′, rotation of the lever 208 in a direction of anarrow Q′, rotation of the L-shaped lever 210 in a direction of an arrowR′, and movement of the sliding plate 211 in a direction of an arrow S′,as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. As a result, end portions of the lever 208and the sliding plate 211 are brought into contact with the stocker flatsprings 215 a and 215 b, respectively, and the stocker flat springs 215a and 215 b are then pushed upward so that they are retracted from thedisk, as shown in FIG. 32. Simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 33, thesecond-driving lever 310 is made to rotate in the direction of the arrowA′, and the disk guide member 421 is made to rotate in a direction of anarrow f′ by way of the gear series 422. As a result, the holding of thedisk by the sandwiching member 421 a is released.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 further rotate because of the driving force of the motor appliedthereto by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear 404, andthe gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the selected stocker 504 descends toa playback level, as shown in FIG. 35. Simultaneously, the rotation ofthe gear 412 makes the shaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a which isengaged with the 8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engaged withthe gear 412 rotate in a direction of an arrow H′, as shown in FIG. 30,and movement of the sliding plate 415 in a direction of an arrow J′,movement of the sliding plate 416 in a direction of an arrow K′, androtation of the rotary plate 417 in a direction of an arrow L′, whichare caused by the rotation of the shaking lever 414, make the disk guidemember 421 descend in the direction of the arrow M′ to the playback unitretraction level, as shown in FIG. 34. As a result, the disk guidemember 421 is retracted from the disk to be played back.

By virtue of the motor 201, the gear series 202, and the cam groove 204d of the second rotary member 204, the lever 510 rotates in thedirection of the arrow a, and the slide member 511 moves in thedirection of the arrow b, as shown in FIG. 31. As a result, the lockingmembers 505 and 506 are made to rotate in directions of arrows g and h,respectively, as shown in FIG. 36, and the locking of the supportingplate 504 shown in FIG. 29 is then released. The disk apparatus thusadvances to the playback operation.

Operations which are performed by the disk apparatus until the disk isejected after played back:

The motor 201, the gear series 202, and the cam groove 204 d of thesecond rotary member 204 rotate the lever 510 in a direction of an arrowa′, and move the slide member 511 in a direction of an arrow b′. As aresult, the locking members 505 and 506 are made to rotate in directionsof arrows g′ and h′, respectively, as shown in FIG. 36, and thesupporting plate 504 shown in FIG. 29 is locked.

The driving of the motor 418 causes the rotation axes 401, 402, and 403to rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear 404,and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d until the engagement portion ofthe selected stocker 504 ascends up to the disk chugging level, as shownin FIG. 22. Simultaneously, the gear 412 is made to rotate and theshaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a which is engaged with the8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engaged with the gear 412 isalso made to rotate in the direction of the arrow H. Movement of thesliding plate 415 in the direction of the arrow J, movement of thesliding plate 416 in the direction of the arrow K, and rotation of therotary plate 417 in the direction of the arrow L, which are caused bythe rotation of the shaking lever 414, results in an upward movement ofthe disk guide member 421 in the direction of the arrow M to the diskchugging level, as shown in FIG. 34.

Then, further rotation of the second rotary member 204 caused by furtherdriving of the motor 201 rotates the first driving lever 205 in thedirection of the arrow N, and moves the sliding plate 206 in thedirection of the arrow P. As a result, the lever 208 rotates in thedirection of the arrow Q, the L-shaped lever 210 rotates in thedirection of the arrow R, and the sliding plate 211 slides in thedirection of the arrow S, and therefore the contact of the end portionsof the lever 208 and the sliding plate 211 with the stocker flat springs215 a and 215 b is released and the stocker flat springs 215 a and 215 bare brought into contact with the disk, as shown in FIG. 24.Simultaneously, the second driving lever 310 rotates in the direction ofthe arrow A′, and the disk guide member 421 rotates in the direction ofthe arrow f by way of the gear series 416, so that the disk is held bythe sandwiching portion 421 a of the disk guide member 421, as shown inFIG. 33.

In addition, by virtue of the motor 201, the gear series 202, and thecam groove 204 d of the second rotary member 204, the lever 510 rotatesin the direction of the arrow a, the slide member 511 moves in thedirection of the arrow b, the connecting plate 513 rotates in adirection of an arrow c′, and the driving plate 515 of the clamp plate508 moves in a direction of an arrow d′, as shown in FIG. 31. As aresult, the clamp plate 508 ascends in a direction of an arrow e′against the spring force of the coil spring 509, and the damper 508 a isdetached from the disk, as shown in FIG. 31.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the engaging portion of theselected stocker 504 ascends up to the playback unit entry level, asshown in FIG. 27. Simultaneously, the rotation of the gear 412 makes theshaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a which is engaged with the8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engaged with the gear 412rotate in the direction of the arrow H, and movement of the slidingplate 415 in the direction of the arrow J, movement of the sliding plate416 in the direction of the arrow K, and rotation of the rotary plate417 in the direction of the arrow L, which are caused by the rotation ofthe shaking lever 414, make the disk guide member 421 ascend in thedirection of the arrow M to the playback unit entry level and the diskis detached from the turntable 507, as shown in FIG. 30.

By virtue of the motor 201 and the spiral cam groove 203 a of the firstrotary member 203 which is driven via the gear series 202 by the motor201, the rotary lever 501 is made to rotate in the direction of thearrow W′, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, and the playback membersupporting plate 503 that supports the whole of the playback unit ismade to rotate and retract to a position where the playback membersupporting plate 503 is located outside the disk storage area of thedisk apparatus. The rotation and retraction of the playback membersupporting plate 503 causes the rotation axis supporting plate 423 torotate in the direction of the arrow Z′, and the disk guide member 421then returns to its initial position.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the selected stocker 504descends to the disk conveyance level, as shown in FIG. 22.Simultaneously, the rotation of the gear 412 makes the shaking lever 414having the pin 414 a which is engaged with the 8-shaped cam groove 413 aof the gear 413 engaged with the gear 412 rotate in the direction of thearrow H′, and movement of the sliding plate 415 in the direction of thearrow J′, movement of the sliding plate 416 in the direction of thearrow K′, and rotation of the rotary plate 417 in the direction of thearrow L′, which are caused by the rotation of the shaking lever 414,make the disk guide member 421 descend in the direction of the arrow M′to the disk conveyance level, as shown in FIG. 26.

When the motor 319 then rotates, the sliding plate 212 moves in thedirection of the arrow T′ by way of the gear series 320, and the diskconveying plate 315 moves to the back side of the housing 101immediately before it is locked by the locking member 322, as shown inFIG. 24. By virtue of this movement of the sliding plate 212, the pin321 is made to move along the cam groove 101 g formed in the right-handside plate 101 b of the housing, the rotary plate 316 is made to rotatein a direction of an arrow 1′ of FIG. 1, and the gear 318 disposed inthe disk conveying roller axis is engaged with the gear series 320.

The rotation of the second rotary member 204 caused by the driving ofthe motor 201 rotates the first driving lever 205 in the direction ofthe arrow N′, and moves the sliding plate 206 in the direction of thearrow P′, rotates the lever 208 in the direction of the arrow Q′,rotates the L-shaped lever 210 in the direction of the arrow R′, andmoves the sliding plate 211 in the direction of the arrow S′, as shownin FIG. 24, and therefore the end portions of the lever 208 and thesliding plate 211 are brought into contact with the stocker flat springs215 a and 215 b; respectively, and the stocker flat springs 215 a and215 b are pushed upward. The contact of the sliding plate 211 with thesliding plate 212 is released.

As a result, the sliding plate 212 moves to its initial position in thedirection of the arrow T′, and the locking member 322 is made to rotatein the direction of the arrow U′ by the forked engaging member 212 andthen enters the locking state. Simultaneously, the second driving lever310 rotates in the direction of the arrow A′, and the disk guide member421 rotates in the direction of the arrow f′ by way of the gear series422, and the holding of the disk by the disk supporting portion 421 a ofthe disk guide member 421 is released, as shown in FIG. 24. Furthermore,the sliding plate 206 moves in the direction of the arrow P′, and therestriction on rotation of the disk detection plate 207 b is released.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the front side of theengaging portion of the selected stocker 504 descends to the playbackunit retraction level, as shown in FIG. 18. Simultaneously, the rotationof the gear 412 makes the shaking lever 414 having the pin 414 a whichis engaged with the 8-shaped cam groove 413 a of the gear 413 engagedwith the gear 412 rotate in the direction of the arrow H′, and movementof the sliding plate 415 in the direction of the arrow J′, movement ofthe sliding plate 416 in the direction of the arrow K′, and rotation ofthe rotary plate 417 in the direction of the arrow L′, which are causedby the rotation of the shaking lever 414, make the disk guide member 421descend in the direction of the arrow M′, as shown in FIG. 21. As aresult, the disk is made to descend to the playback unit retractionlevel, as shown in FIG. 22.

The rotation of the second rotary member 204 caused by the driving ofthe motor 201 rotates the second driving lever 310 in the direction ofthe arrow A, and also rotates the middle lever 311 in the direction ofthe arrow B. As a result, the cam plate 301 is moved in the direction ofthe arrow C, and, as shown in FIG. 17, the shutters 302R and 302L arethen apart from the disk conveyance path and the disk insertion/ejectionopening 303 is opened.

The motor 319 is then made to rotate and the disk conveying roller 317is made to rotate by way of the gear series 320. As a result, and thedisk is ejected. When the disk is ejected via the diskinsertion/ejection opening 303 to a predetermined position, a sensor(not shown) detects this ejection and the motor 319 is stopped, and thedisk apparatus enters a state shown in FIG. 19.

Disk Changing Operation:

In the above-mentioned way, the playback unit 500 is made to rotate fromthe disk playback position to the playback unit retraction position, andthe disk guide member 421 is made to return to its initial position.After that, when the second rotary member 204 rotates, the seconddriving lever 310 rotates in the direction of the arrow A′ and the diskguide member 421 rotates in the direction of the arrow f′ by way of thegear series 422. As a result, the sandwiching of the disk by thesandwiching portion 421 a of the disk guide member 421 is released.Simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 37, a rack member 424 which is engagedwith one gear of the gear series 422 moves in a direction of an arrow j,and is then engaged with a gear member 425 a of a rotary member 425, andthe rotary member 425 then rotates in a direction of an arrow k andstands up because of further movement of the rack member 424. As aresult, all disks are prevented from projecting from the plurality ofstockers 405 which are in contact with the outer edges of all the disks,as shown in FIG. 37.

When the motor 418 further rotates and hence the rotation axes 401, 402,and 403 rotate by way of the gear series 419, the large-diameter gear404, and the gears 401 d, 402 d, and 403 d, the selected stocker 504moves to a desired level.

The rotation of the second rotary member 204 caused by the driving ofthe motor 201 rotates the second driving lever 310 in the direction ofthe arrow A. As a result, the rack member 424 which is engaged with onegear of the gear series 422 moves in a direction of an arrow j′, and therotary member 425 having the gear member 425 a which is engaged with therack member 424 rotates and is retracted in a direction of an arrow k′by virtue of the movement of the rack member. Simultaneously, by virtueof the rotation of the gear series 422, the disk guide member 421rotates in a direction of an arrow f′ and holds the disks, as shown inFIG. 38.

When playing back a selected disk 450, the playback unit 500 is made torotate to a position where the axis of the turntable 507 matches withthe axis of the selected disk in the above-mentioned way, and theselected disk 450 is placed on the turntable 507 and is placed in thechugging state. The stocker flat springs 215 a and 215 b are then madeto be retracted from the disk and the locking of the playback member 502is released. The disk apparatus thus shifts to the playback operation.

Many widely different embodiments of the present invention may beconstructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. It should be understood that the present invention is notlimited to the specific embodiments described in the specification,except as defined in the appended claims.

1. A disk apparatus comprising: a supporting means inwardly projectingfrom an inner surface of a wall of a housing, the wall having a diskinsertion/ejection opening; a disk conveying means that is supported bysaid supporting means so that said disk conveying means can be movedalong a disk conveyance path, via which a disk is conveyed, toward apredetermined position within said housing; an engagement groove formedin said supporting means and having a straight portion which is parallelto said disk conveyance path and a locking portion which isperpendicular to said straight portion; a locking member that isrotatably disposed on said disk conveying means and that is engaged withsaid engagement groove so that said locking member is pressed towardsaid locking portion of said engagement groove; and an actuation meansfor rotating said locking member so as to release locking of saidlocking member when playing back said disk.
 2. The disk apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said actuation means is a sliding platefor retracting said disk conveying means to outside an area in which thedisk can be handled by said disk conveying means when playing back thedisk located at a playback position.